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Father of Five Dies in Arizona Desert after Being Deported

May 23, 2012 (1 min read)

"A Vista man died along the U.S. border with Mexico last month trying to return to his family after being deported.  The body of Alfonso Martinez Sanchez, 39, was found on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, his family and authorities said. The reservation stretches along the Arizona border and is a frequent route for thousands of migrants attempting to cross the border illegally. It is an unforgiving environment, part of the Sonoran desert, where temperatures can often soar to more than 100 degrees.  Martinez was trying to return to his wife and five U.S.-born children, ages 5 to 18, said Juana Garcia Martinez, his wife. Martinez was the main bread winner and now the family is struggling to make ends meet, she said. ... Martinez came to the United States from his native San Luis Potosi in central Mexico more than 20 years ago. He worked at a Vista supermarket as a butcher for many years before he was laid off two years ago because of his immigration status." - Edward Sifuentes, North County Times, May 21, 2012.